Music of the Heart
by Miss Vix
Summary: RenoRude. After a long day at work Reno just wants to relax with his boyfriend Rude, but Rude has other ideas. Oneshot. Pure humor and fluff!


Music was a common sound that was heard coming from Reno and Rude's home. You could always tell what kind of mood either one of them was in by the kind of music they had blaring from their entertainment system. Rock could mean anything from they were pissed off and fighting to they were just pissed off in general. Country meant you had better be prepared to see them stumble upstairs after a long night of trying to outdrink each other and then the results of that contest was heard by the winner topping the other that night. R&B/soul, Everyone knows what that's the universal 'let'sfuckeahothersbrainsout' music.

However... Most wouldn't know what to think when they heard Backstreet Boys and 'N sync pumping through the speakers.

THAT was all Rude.

He had a secret boyband fetish that only Reno knew about.

Reno loved it when he came home and heard the charming voices, cheesy lyrics and sweet harmonies of BSB and 'N sync coming from the house. It meant he was going to have an overly sappy Rude, and a good homecooked meal on the table, AND he got the rare privelege of hearing Rude's baritone voice belting out the songs. Rude rarely sang, and reserved his good voice for serenading Reno on days he knew the redhead would need them the most. _(All the days he had to stay later and finish the reports that Tseng had found him using as a pillow earlier that afternoon.)_

This night was no different, but Reno felt like there was a charge in the air around the house when he heard the boys singing about sappy romances and nearly impossible relationships. Rude was singing, just as predicted, but something was just a little different about it...

Reno was tired, pissed, and annoyed as fuck, but hearing Rude croon made all that float to the back of his train of thought.

"'m home." He called out over the blasting music, recognizing the song and sang along with it as he walked to the kitchen. "Hey, Aibou... What's f'r dinner?"

Rude looked up form the stove, still singing loudly as he raised an eyebrow. He grabbed the remote and turned the music down. "Geeze Ren, what the hell happened?"

Reno looked down, and noted the mud, muck and slime on his uniform. "M'mission got a lil' messy, messier than it was s'pposed to have."

"Obviously. Go, take a shower. Dinner will be done by the time you get out." Rude said, ushering the redhead up the stairs.

"All right, all right... keep ya pants on, bossyboots!" He was joking, and Rude knew it. He felt a sting on his left asscheek, and let out a yelp.

Rude grinned, and branished the wooden spoon again. "Smart off again, it may not be as gentle." Reno laughed and made his way to the bathroom.

"Ya only do that 'cause I like ta be punished!" Rude shook his head.

"You are a glutton for punishment... now get CLEANED UP! You get no dinner until I see no slime, or anything else on your body." He could almost hear Reno smirk and raise his eyebrow.

"Nothing ELSE on m'body?" Rude threw a shoe at the bathroom door.

"Clothing is NOT optional to dinner tonight smartass... You had better have clothes on when you get down here." He heard the redhead laugh as the shower was turned on.

Rude went back to cooking, and turned the music back up to fullblast. He checked his pocket for what had to be the millionth time that hour, and saw that his phone was ringing. He answered it, regardless of the music still going.

"NO... I haven't done it yet... YES, I will call you when I do so." He heard 5 separate voices laughing. "You got me on speakerphone?! Bastard."

"How did you know why I was calling?" Rufus asked, still trying not not laugh too hard.

"Because, You've been calling me about 6 times, every hour, even thought it was YOU who sent him on the mission to buy me the time I needed to get my plan executed." He heard two woman start cackling, and then a snort, which caused even MORE laughter. "TSENG!? Did you just snort?"

"I did no such thing..." He tried not to laugh, which made him end up snorting again.

"I never would have taken you for a snorter... Thought Cloud or Rufus would be for sure..." Rude loved poking fun at the Wutain, it was just too much fun. Her heard and indignant "HEY!" come from Cloud, and another round of laughter from everyone else.

"You had better call as SOON as you get it out... ok?" Elena's cheerful yet bossy voice come onto the line.

"I will Laney... I already promised you and Tifa about 723840752 times..."

"Wasn't that many times Rude... Don't exaggerate... leave that to Reno." Tifa cracked off.

"Goodbye everyone... give us an hour, and I'll call you. If it's been longer, then call me. I might have died if he says something other than what he should say." He heard the line go dead. "Thank Gods... damn hyenas..." He mumbled, still trying not to laugh. He heard footfalls coming from the stairs, and he turned to face Reno.

"'s clothing." Reno said, leaning against the wall in one of his old stripper thongs. Nothing else.

"Did you have to pick THAT one?"

"'course I did... That's how you make lil' Reno feel." Reno was trying to hard not to laugh.

The thong in question was black, but on the front, right where his head was at, it had a day-glo green smiley face, complete with red horns and a pitchfork.

"Go. Put. Clothes. On. NOW!" Reno pouted. "I have a reason for NOT wanting you in just a thong for dinner tonight... just, trust me."

"'kay. I'll be right back then." He went back upstairs and get dressed while Rude got the food to the table.

They sat and ate dinner in companionable silence, just talking enough to make it not awkward. Halfway through dinner however, Rude looked at their backdoor and saw five VERY familiar faces peering inside. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and sent a text to Rufus... all very discreetly. (Not that it mattered much, Reno was too busy slurping up the delicious spagetti that Rude only makes on VERY special occasions.)

**-All of you are SO dead.-**

He got a reply back almost as fast.

**-We want to make sure you don't bung it up. Plus, the girls want to see his reaction first hand. look out the window.-**

He looked up and out the window, and saw Elena holding her trusty camcorder. Luckily, he thought about it before he slapped his forehead, and settled for rolling his eyes. He heard the snort from Tseng and damn near lost it again.

"Aibou? What're ya laughin' at?"

"Oh, nothing... just thought about something Elena told me earlier." Reno looked up at him.

"Eh?" Rude grinned, and looked straight out the door at Tseng. He was waving his arms wildly and mouthing something. (More like flailing around and trying to keep Rude from telling Reno anything that would give him any more ammunition for jokes. "Dothead" Was just now being laid to rest, the last thing he wanted was for Reno to run around calling him some derogitive name for being a snorter.)

"Did you know that Tseng snorts when he laughs?" Reno choked on his breadstick. _Maybe I shouldn't have said that while he was eating..._Rude thought as he handed Reno a glass of water.

Reno finally got the bread down and had downed the rest of the glass of water. "He'sa what? OH Damn! Now I c'n call'im somethin' other than Dothead. That'ns gettin' old now."

Rude laughed even harder when he saw the look of utter defeat on Tseng's face. **Fuck You.** Tseng mouthed at him, and Rude just winked, which meant 'payback's a bitch, ain't she?'

After dinner, Rude went and got the dessert from the fridge, which surprised Reno. "'m getting' dessert too? Fuck... what'd I do that's so special?"

"What? I can't make you something sweet just for the hell of it?" He looked taken aback, but Reno knew it was a joke.

"Sure ya c'... jus' not used to it... Not used ta alot yet..." Rude knew what he meant, and knew whta he was planning would change that very soon.

While they ate dessert, Rude made sure to keep Reno occupied until just one certain song came on, and then phase two would be in effect.

The others were sitting outside, getting antsy. They only knew about phase one and phase three. Phase two would blow them away, but they could contribute to it just as well... even from the outside.

Rude cleared the table, and pulled Reno out into the living room. He had made sure to draw the curtains closed until Reno was sitting down. Last thing he needed was Reno asking why Tseng, Rufus, Elena, Tifa and Cloud were loitering on their back porch.

He heard the opening strains of the song, and put phase two into motion.

"Reno, would you dance with me?" Reno cocked an eyebrow, but obliged.

They stood in the middle of the living room, barely moving. Rude manuevered over to the curtains and opened them again, just in time for the words to come on. He took a deep breath, and began singing.

_"Can this be true, tell me can this be real? How can I put into words what I feel?" _He noticed Reno's eyes on him, but he looked directly out the door, and mouthed to the others to help him out when the chorus came up.

_"My life was complete, I thought I was whole, Why do I feel like I'm losing control?"_ He heard the others start singing backup. **(See, all those days of playing it in the car when on mission payed off! They know the song...)** "_Never thought that love could feel like this... And you changed my world with just one kiss. How can it be, that right here with me, there's an angel... It's a miracle."_ He leaned in, and kissed Reno, just enough to satiate himself and Reno, but to leave him begging for more anyway.

The others kept singing, Tifa's alto and Elena's soprano voices blended perfectly, while Tseng's baritone mellowed out both Cloud and Rufus' tenor tones.

_"Your love is like a river  
Peaceful and deep  
Your soul is like a secret  
That I never could keep  
When I look into your eyes  
I know that it's true  
God must have spent  
A little more time  
On you..."_

Rude picked back up, this time he watched Reno's face to see the reaction to the songs words. _"In all of creation, all things great and small... You are the one that surpases them all. More precious than any diamond or pearl, they broke the mold when you came into this world..."_ He locked his gold-flecked brown eyes to Reno's wintergreen eyes. _"And I'm trying hard to figure out, just how I ever did without... The warmth of your smile, the heart of a child, that's deep inside, it leaves me purified."_ The others caught the chorus, each echoing appropriately.

This time, however... Rude let the others keep singing, and he dropped down on one knee, holding onto Reno's left hand. Reno's eyes widened, finally snapping to what was going on. He heard other voices singing now, and looked out the door and saw Elena's camcorder trained on them, the others still singing along with the now nearly muted music.

"Oh...fuck... Rude, are ya...?" He wasn't trembling, shaking, nothing out of the ordinary, just, extremely surprised to see his secret wish playing out right before his eyes.

"Ren... I'm not going to make this long, drawn out, or sappy... That song, it's true. It's how I feel, how I felt, and how you've affected me. It's never been the same since we've gotten together," They both heard Tifa and Rufus highfive each other. "and it's only taken me the past month to get the nerve up to ask you this..." He pulled out the box, and opened it.

Reno gasped, inside was a simple white gold band, but it was exactly what he wanted. "Aibou, jus' ask th' question... jus' ask it..." He whispered, still staring at the shining ring, his eyes looking just a bit wetter than usual.

"Reno... Will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"

Reno pulled Rude up, kissing him deeply, smiling the entire time. He heard the others cheering outside, and remembered he needed to ask just WHY they were in their backyard. When they broke away, Rude had a dopey grin on his face.

"Was that a yes?" Reno popped him upside the head.

"YES! Ya big idget... o'course th' answers yes!" Rude rubbed his head indignantly...

"It was just to bed sure...no need to hit..." They both turned and heard the backdoor open.

"THAT WAS SO SWEET!!" Elena and Tifa both gushed, going completely mad with the cottoncandyflufffest that had just occured.

"That was m'next question... What's e'ryone doin' here?" Rude glared halfheartedly at them.

"To be nosy and be impromptu backup singers." Reno nodded.

"Not ta be mean or nothin'... but get out. There's more celebratin' to be done than ya wanna see." Rufus and Tseng just raised eyebrows, while the others grumbled about being kicked out.

"What if we've already seen it?" Rufus smarted off.

"Y'can still leave. This ain't th' type o'celebratin' ta be done with others 'round."

"Partypooper." He said, grabbing Tseng hand and pulling him out of the front door. "Oh, by the way, You have tomorrow off... Enjoy!" He called out as he shut the front door and they could hear the rumble of Fenrir and Rufus' car starting up.

Reno ran upstairs before he remembered he was missing a very important part of his celebration. He darted back down and grabbed Rude's wrist, dragging him upstairs with that little glint in his eye that Rude meant he was in for a LONG night.

"At least we have tomorrow off... I'll need it to recouperate from this..." He heard Reno laugh from the bed.

"Get over here... Now's time f'r me ta properly say yes." Who was Rude to deny his fiance the right to provide him with a better way to say yes?


End file.
